Chapter 1: The Girl Who Saw No Reflection

Rain tapped endlessly against the train window while Airi Nakamura rested her forehead against the cold glass. Outside, gray buildings and unfamiliar streets passed by one after another, disappearing behind the water droplets sliding down the window.

A new city.

A new school.

A new beginning.

That was what she wanted to believe.

Her phone screen lit up again.

No new messages.

She opened the old chat one more time.

Mom.

The last message was still there.

"I’ll be home soon."

Three months ago.

Nothing after that.

No calls.

No explanation.

No goodbye.

Airi quickly locked the phone and placed it back into her pocket.

“Next stop, Aokawa Station.”

The robotic voice echoed through the train.

Her stomach tightened.

She hated first days.

New schools meant new faces, new questions, and pretending everything was fine when it wasn’t.

The train doors opened with a soft sound.

Cold air touched her face.

Aokawa looked like every small Japanese coastal city from magazines—clean streets, small cafés, students walking together beneath umbrellas.

Yet something felt strange.

Not dangerous.

Not scary.

Just familiar.

Like she had seen this city before.

But she knew she hadn’t.

---

Aokawa High School stood on a hill overlooking the ocean.

Large gates.

Tall buildings.

Perfect gardens.

Too perfect.

Airi adjusted her uniform and followed a teacher through crowded hallways.

“You transferred at a difficult time,” the teacher said while walking.

Airi blinked.

“What do you mean?”

The teacher smiled awkwardly.

“Nothing important.”

That answer only made her more nervous.

The classroom door opened.

Immediately, dozens of voices disappeared.

Every student turned toward her.

The teacher wrote her name on the board.

“Airi Nakamura. Please introduce yourself.”

Airi faced the class.

“My name is Airi Nakamura. Nice to meet you.”

Whispers started immediately.

“She’s cute.”

“She looks serious.”

“Transfer students are always interesting.”

Airi ignored them.

Instead, she scanned the room.

That was when she noticed him.

Back row.

Black hair.

Gray eyes.

Expressionless face.

Unlike everyone else, he wasn’t whispering.

Wasn’t smiling.

Wasn’t even pretending interest.

He looked shocked.

Almost frightened.

The teacher pointed.

“You’ll sit beside Ren Kisaragi.”

Great.

The scary one.

Airi walked toward the empty seat.

As she sat down, Ren quietly spoke without looking at her.

“You shouldn’t have come here.”

Airi froze.

“What?”

“This city changes people.”

She stared at him.

“What kind of weird introduction is that?”

He finally looked at her.

For one second, his eyes widened.

Then he looked away again.

“Forget it.”

Weird guy.

---

Lunch break arrived.

Students quickly surrounded her desk.

Questions came endlessly.

“Where are you from?”

“Do you have a boyfriend?”

“What clubs do you like?”

A cheerful girl with short brown hair smiled brightly.

“I’m Yuna! We should eat together!”

Airi almost refused.

But being alone on day one sounded worse.

Lunch passed normally.

Almost too normally.

For the first time in months, Airi nearly forgot about everything.

Then she noticed something strange.

Several students kept glancing toward Ren.

But nobody approached him.

Nobody talked to him.

As if he wasn’t there.

---

After lunch, Airi went to the bathroom.

The room was empty.

Quiet.

Only dripping water.

She washed her hands and looked into the mirror.

For one second—

Someone stood behind her.

A girl.

Long black hair.

White uniform.

Red eyes.

Airi spun around instantly.

Nothing.

Empty bathroom.

Her heartbeat accelerated.

“No sleep,” she whispered.

“That’s all.”

Her phone vibrated.

Unknown Number.

She frowned.

Nobody had her new number.

Slowly, she opened the message.

Look into the mirrors carefully.

A second message arrived.

One of your classmates does not exist.

Cold spread through her body.

A joke?

Someone from class?

Her hands slightly trembled.

Then footsteps echoed outside.

Students passed the bathroom entrance.

Their reflections appeared normally.

One.

Two.

Three.

Then—

Ren.

He stood outside the doorway.

Watching her.

Everyone else had reflections.

He didn’t.

Airi’s breathing stopped.

Ren’s expression changed.

Not surprise.

Not confusion.

Fear.

He quietly said:

“You saw it.”

The bathroom lights suddenly went out.

[End of Chapter 1]

Chapter 2: The Boy Without a Reflection

Darkness swallowed the bathroom.

Airi froze.

For a moment, she could only hear her own breathing.

The lights had gone out so suddenly that her eyes needed several seconds to adjust. Outside, students were still talking in the hallway as if nothing strange had happened.

Then the lights returned.

Everything looked normal again.

Too normal.

Ren was still standing near the doorway.

Watching her.

Airi immediately looked toward the mirror.

This time—

His reflection was there.

Perfectly normal.

Her chest tightened.

No.

She had seen it.

She was sure.

“You...” Airi whispered. “Your reflection disappeared.”

Ren’s expression remained unreadable.

“You should go back to class.”

“That’s not an answer.”

He looked around the empty bathroom entrance before lowering his voice.

“You saw something you weren’t supposed to see.”

Airi took one step closer.

“What does that even mean?”

Instead of answering, Ren walked away.

Just like that.

As if leaving mysterious sentences behind was completely normal.

“Hey!”

He didn’t stop.

Airi stared at his back while frustration slowly replaced fear.

Weirdo.

Complete weirdo.

---

Afternoon classes felt endless.

Math.

History.

Literature.

Airi heard almost none of it.

Her notebook remained mostly empty except for random words she kept writing repeatedly.

Mirror. Reflection. Unknown number. Ren.

Every time she looked toward the back row, Ren remained quiet.

Looking outside.

Ignoring everyone.

Ignoring her.

When the final bell rang, students immediately began leaving.

Yuna appeared beside her desk.

“You look pale.”

“I’m fine.”

“That’s the face people make before collapsing.”

Airi forced a small smile.

Yuna leaned closer.

“Did something happen?”

Airi hesitated.

Should she mention reflections disappearing?

No.

That sounded insane.

“Just tired.”

Yuna didn’t seem convinced.

Then she suddenly lowered her voice.

“Stay away from Ren.”

Airi blinked.

“Why?”

Yuna looked toward the back row.

“He’s strange.”

“That’s obvious.”

“No, I mean really strange.”

Before Airi could ask more, Yuna quickly changed the topic.

Too quickly.

Almost intentionally.

---

Rain had started again when school ended.

Students slowly disappeared from campus.

Airi stood under the entrance roof searching through her bag.

No umbrella.

Perfect.

“You forgot one?”

She looked up.

Ren.

Holding a black umbrella.

“Are you following me now?” she asked.

“No.”

“Then why are you here?”

He stayed silent for several seconds.

Then:

“You should go home before dark.”

“There you go again.”

Ren sighed quietly.

“You ask questions but ignore answers.”

“You never actually answer.”

For the first time all day, he almost smiled.

Almost.

Airi noticed something strange.

Students walking past them glanced toward Ren—

then quickly looked away.

Like earlier.

Like they were avoiding him.

Why?

Her phone vibrated again.

Unknown Number.

Her stomach dropped.

She opened it.

Do not go home through the main street.

A second message arrived instantly.

Someone is waiting there.

Cold spread through her arms.

Ren noticed her expression.

“The messages again?”

Airi looked up sharply.

“How do you know about them?”

His eyes widened slightly.

A mistake.

He knew it too.

Before she could speak, loud thunder shook the sky.

The school lights flickered.

For one second—

Just one second—

Airi saw shadows moving near the school gate.

Too tall.

Too thin.

Not human.

She blinked.

Gone.

“What was that?” she whispered.

Ren grabbed her wrist suddenly.

His voice became serious.

“Don’t look at them.”

Them.

Not it.

Them.

Airi slowly turned toward him.

Rain grew heavier.

Students had already left.

The campus was almost empty.

Then from somewhere behind the school—

A girl’s voice whispered:

“Airi...”

Not loudly.

Not normally.

Directly beside her ear.

She spun around.

Nobody.

When she looked back—

Ren’s reflection in a nearby classroom window had disappeared again.

And this time—

He looked terrified.

[End of Chapter 2]

Chapter 3: Voices After Sunset

Rain poured heavily over Aokawa.

The sound was everywhere.

On rooftops.

On windows.

On empty hallways.

Airi couldn’t move.

Her eyes remained fixed on the classroom window.

No reflection.

Again.

Ren stood beside her beneath the school entrance roof, rainwater dripping from the edge above them.

His expression had changed completely.

The cold, distant boy from class was gone.

For the first time—

He looked afraid.

“You saw it again,” Airi whispered.

Ren immediately looked away from the window.

“You weren’t supposed to.”

“That’s not an explanation!”

Her voice came out louder than expected.

Rain covered the awkward silence between them.

Airi pulled her wrist free from his hand.

“First, reflections disappear. Then mysterious messages appear on my phone. Then I hear someone whisper my name. And somehow you know about all of it?”

Ren remained quiet.

That annoyed her more.

“You keep acting mysterious for no reason.”

Finally, he spoke.

“Because if I explain too much, things get worse.”

“Worse than this?”

His eyes slowly moved toward the dark schoolyard.

“Yes.”

Airi followed his gaze.

Nothing.

Only rain.

Only empty pathways.

Only shadows created by streetlights.

Still—

That uncomfortable feeling returned.

Like someone was watching.

---

“I’m leaving,” Airi said finally.

Ren blocked her path.

“Not through the main street.”

“The message said the same thing.”

“Then listen.”

Airi crossed her arms.

“Why should I trust you?”

For several seconds, Ren said nothing.

Then quietly:

“Because they already noticed you.”

They.

That word again.

Before she could ask, a loud sound echoed from somewhere behind the school building.

Metal falling.

Both turned.

Silence returned.

Ren’s face hardened.

“We’re going.”

Without waiting, he started walking toward a side road leading away from school.

After a moment of hesitation—

Airi followed.

---

The side streets of Aokawa were almost empty.

Convenience stores glowed softly.

Streetlights reflected on wet roads.

Everything should have felt normal.

But it didn’t.

Airi noticed something strange.

The city looked familiar again.

Too familiar.

As if she had walked these streets hundreds of times before.

“Have we met before?” she suddenly asked.

Ren looked confused.

“What?”

“You keep looking at me like you know me.”

His expression froze for half a second.

Then returned to normal.

“No.”

Lie.

She could feel it.

Her phone vibrated again.

Unknown Number.

Her hands shook slightly while opening it.

Do not trust the boy without a reflection.

Airi slowly lowered the phone.

Ren noticed.

“What did it say?”

“Nothing.”

“You’re lying.”

“So are you.”

For the first time, Ren looked slightly annoyed.

“Good.”

“What?”

“You’re finally being careful.”

Weird answer.

Very weird.

---

They stopped near a pedestrian bridge crossing a small river.

Rain weakened slightly.

The city lights reflected on dark water below.

Then Airi heard it.

Splash.

Someone walking beneath the bridge.

She looked down.

Nothing.

Splash.

Again.

This time closer.

Ren immediately stepped forward.

“Don’t look.”

Too late.

Airi looked.

Under the bridge—

A girl stood ankle-deep in river water.

School uniform.

Long black hair.

Head lowered.

Completely still.

Airi’s breathing stopped.

The same girl from the mirror.

Slowly—

Very slowly—

The girl raised her head.

Red eyes.

Pale skin.

And a smile.

A horrible smile.

Airi stumbled backward.

“What is that?!”

Ren grabbed her arm.

“We run.”

The girl below the bridge moved.

Not walking.

Not climbing.

Appearing.

One second below.

Next second—

Standing on the bridge.

Directly behind them.

Water dripped from her uniform.

Her voice sounded broken.

Almost distorted.

“You finally came back... Airi.”

Airi froze.

Back?

What did that mean?

The girl slowly lifted one hand.

In her pale fingers—

She held an old photograph.

Airi.

Ren.

And the red-eyed girl.

Together.

As children.

[End of Chapter 3]